Police slammed over Syria sisters

Police were “complicit in the grooming and radicalising” of three sisters who are feared to have travelled to Syria with their nine children, according to lawyers representing two of the youngsters’ fathers.

British sisters Khadija Dawood, 30, Sugra Dawood, 34, and Zohra Dawood, 33, and their children, aged between three and 15, are feared to have travelled to link up with terror group Islamic State in the country.

Last week, Akhtar Iqbal and Mohammed Shoaib broke down as they pleaded desperately for their wives to return so they can go back to their “normal lives”.

Now solicitors representing the two men have written to the chair of the Commons Home Affairs Committee, Keith Vaz, saying their clients are “extremely disappointed with the manner in which this matter is being investigated by West Yorkshire Police and have expressed grave concerns in the conduct of the police leading to these events”.

Referring to a brother of the sisters, who is believed to have joined Islamic State, the letter from Khan Solicitors, in Bradford, said: “Indeed, we are alarmed by the fact that the police have been actively promoting and encouraging contact with the brother-in-law of our client whom, it is believed, is fighting in Syria.

“It would appear that there has been a reckless disregard as to the consequences of any such contact on the families of those whom we represent.”

The letter, posted by Labour MP Mr Vaz on his website, continued: “Plainly, by the NECTU (North East Counter Terrorism Unit) allowing this contact they have been complicit in the grooming and radicalising of the women. If this contact between them had been prevented our clients would not now be facing such circumstances.”

The solicitors explained how their clients have not had the information they want about the progress of the investigation and accused the police of making sure they are not criticised for their tactic of “allowing, encouraging and promoting contact with somebody believed to be in Syria”.

The letter said: “The actions and misjudgement of the NECTU has placed the lives of 12 British citizens at risk, nine of which are innocent children, the youngest being three years of age.”

The letter also confirms that Zohra Dawood left a voice message for her family on Wednesday indicating she was already in Syria and that all the missing people had all travelled there together “due to the oppressive nature of the continued surveillance by the police”.

It said the police released this information last week without any consultation with the fathers and that senior officers have refused to meet the two men.

The missing group travelled to Saudi Arabia on May 28 to go on an Islamic pilgrimage.

They were due to return to the UK on June 11, but broke off all contact with family in Britain two days earlier on June 9.

It is believed they boarded a flight to Turkey that day and now have crossed into Syria.

It later emerged that the same group tried to fly earlier this year. The BBC reported that the sisters and their children, from Bradford, were originally booked to travel from Manchester to Mecca and Medina on March 19.

The North East Counter Terrorism Unit confirmed that the same group had been stopped and made the subject of security checks earlier this year.

Mr Iqbal and Mr Shoaib broke down in tears as they pleaded with their wives to come home at a press conference organised by the family last week.